The Dangers of Free Time
by Rain Harmonia
Summary: The Vytal Festival is fast approaching and students at Beacon have been given a day off. Unfortunately, Emerald's idea of keeping herself amused upon discovering she has free time on her hands is...well, actually quite amusing. (One-shot. Set between Volumes 2 and 3. White Rose and one-sided Rosewick. Very slight purposeful OOC, for the sake of humor. Rated T cause I'm paranoid?)


**The Dangers of Free Time  
**

 _LDR: *appears with this bright, shiny new one-shot*_

 _Followers Expecting an Update for Unova's Downfall: *cricket noises and frowns*_

 _LDR: ... ... ... Okay then. In all seriousness though, I'm being plagued with an extreme lack of motivation for Unova's Downfall. So it's being put on the back-burner until motivation returns. Instead, I'll likely be occupying my writing time with RWBY fics! *glares out at audience* Cheer!_

 _Anyway, I'm always nervous about writing (whether it be a fic or an RP) for a fandom (or in this case, FNDM) I'm not as experienced with as Pokemon. But I'm hoping I've got personalities and stuff down pretty well. Shoutout to my dear friend **The Inspectre** , who has spent a lot of time on a role-playing site with me, doing much RWBY RP. He's got two stories of his own up, both really good. Seriously. They're amazing. Check them out. He's amazing too, and was my constant motivation to get this done, always there with little encouragements to finish this and get it posted. Thank you so much._

 _Okay, on with the story!_

 _(Also, I don't own any part of RWBY. RoosterTeeth does.)_

* * *

The ever-popular Vytal Festival was just around the corner, and everyone seemed in a rush to prepare for it. Shopkeepers planning to take advantage of the crowds and sell their wares were busy setting up stalls or preparing their merchandise, be it food, clothing, souvenirs, or even their services. The citizens of the city of Vale were clearly excited, whether child or adult, and every family had their own preparations to make. Even schools were giving their students days off as the Festival drew closer, and the prestigious Beacon Academy was no different. The Huntsmen- and Huntresses-in-training had been freed from their academic responsibilities in order to make personal preparations for the upcoming Vytal Tournament, which the highlight of the Festival for many, both in regards to the fighters and the spectators.

With the kingdom of Vale playing host this year, Beacon was delegated to the same role for the students of the other kingdoms' academies. But such an opportunity as to sneak into the school, using the guise of transfer students, was too great for some more notorious citizens to pass up...

One such person was currently sprawled atop a bed in the dorm room she and her 'Team' had been assigned. Crimson eyes the color of blood fixed on the ceiling, a soft, bored moan passing the dark-skinned girl's lips. After a few more minutes of lazing about, Emerald Sustrai managed to roll herself to the edge of the bed and plant her feet on the floor, standing up. After checking to make sure her mint green hair hadn't undone itself from the twin tails she normally wore it in, she gazed around the empty room.

Every student currently attending Beacon had been given the day off, whether they were a transfer student or not. Emerald's teammates all seemed to have had something very important to do. Mercury and Neo had claimed they were going to train, but she was almost certain that her gray-haired partner had gone off to mess around, while the mute girl was probably in the city, gorging herself on ice cream. The only one Emerald didn't doubt was Cinder. She _never_ doubted Cinder. The fiery woman hadn't shared any details on her plans for the day, simply left after telling the other three that they had the day to themselves.

Emerald hated it.

What was she supposed to do all day? She hadn't gotten the notification until earlier this morning, and hadn't had any time to prepare or contemplate how she was going to spend the day. Hell, she hadn't even bothered to change out of the school uniform she'd been forced to wear due to posing as a student from Haven.

Crossing the room, she flung the door open and stepped into the hallway, tugging the handle to quietly close the door behind her. Perhaps she could get some practice with her Semblance in, and amuse herself while doing so...

* * *

"Uhhh...so boooored..." Ruby Rose, youngest Huntress-in-training to attend Beacon and leader of Team RWBY, was currently flopped on her stomach, laying atop the bedsheets (of a bed that was not her own, but her white-haired partner's) with an arm and a leg dangling over the edge.

Everyone had been given the day off from school, but Ruby had no one to spend it with. Silver eyes slid closed and she buried her face in the bedsheets. Team JNPR had gone to see a movie together, but Yang had informed Ruby that the brunette teen wasn't allowed to see it (something about the rating) before dragging Blake off to who-knows-where, claiming that she and Blake were going on another date when Ruby tried to tag along. Weiss had packed up some books and notes and gone to the library to study; Ruby had quickly declined her invitation to come along.

She was thinking about hurrying to her locker, grabbing Crescent Rose, and going to see if she could get some training in when the door opened. Ruby looked up to see Weiss enter, and almost immediately the brunette leaped off the bed, arms waving frantically. "Gah! Sorry Weiss! I'll remake the bed!" She spared a moment to cast a forlorn gaze at the messy bedsheets, which had been straight and with nary a wrinkle when the heiress had left to go study and had now lost the pristine look that Weiss loved. Wait a minute...

Something was off.

Weiss usually jumped at this sort of opportunity, ready to tell the younger girl off after catching her 'red-handed'. (Or as Yang liked to say 'red-hooded'. The puns just kept getting worse.) But this time, there was no not-exactly-angry tirade, no probably-playful insults. Uh-oh.

Ruby meekly looked up, only to jump back and fall onto the bed again, narrowly avoiding cracking the back of her skull against her own bed. Weiss now loomed _right over her_! When had she gotten so close? Wait, why was she leaning closer? _Oh Dust, what's going on? OhDustOhDustOhDustOhDustOh– Whaaaaat?_

Was this really happening? Weiss was on top of her, hands clamped over Ruby's shoulders, pinning the younger girl down. And their lips were locked together. And wow...her icy partner was a really good kisser! How often had the silver-eyed Huntress-in-training dreamed about this since first meeting the heiress?

Well, okay, it had only started about a month ago, but _still_! Weiss. Was. Kissing. Her.

Ruby thought she might explode from happiness...until Weiss pulled away. The younger female let out a plaintive whine as the kiss was broken, only for a familiar and unwelcome voice to reach her ears.

"Alright, Ice Queen, you've had your fun. Now it's my turn."

"Torchwick?!" Wasn't he supposed to be in jail? How had he escaped and what was he doing here? Why was Weiss just standing there while the orange-haired man drew closer and closer and oh Dust no, did he want to kiss her like Weiss had? Eeewww! Roman was _old_ and...and wasn't Weiss!

"Hello, Red," he purred, only visible green eye glinting. It wasn't his usual mocking tone, but instead... Actually, Ruby wasn't sure how to describe his tone this time. She 'eep'd as he reached for her, squeezing her eyes shut. She was trapped against the wall, with no way to escape. But when nothing but a light touch on her hips came, the brunette cracked one eyelid open just enough to peek out at the criminal.

He stared back, head ducked under Ruby's own hanging bed, an amused look on his face. "Oh, _relax_ Red. I didn't escape from prison, strike a deal with your white friend there, and sneak into Beacon to _hurt_ you."

"Wha- what? Weiss!" Ruby whined, squirming in Roman's gentle grip. This was so weird! Last time they'd met, he'd wanted her killed and she played a part in his arrest. She looked over his hunched shoulders to see her teammate's icy blue eyes narrow.

"The deal is off, Torchprick. Ruby's mine."

"Wait, Weiss, what's going on?" Ruby's silver eyes flooded with confusion, though her wriggling had stopped.

"Come on, Red. Put that brain to use."

Ruby was sure she was being mocked this time. That was easy enough to figure out? But understanding what was happening? Fat chance. Her brain was still addled from her partner's kiss, and Roman close proximity wasn't helping things. Actually, now that she stopped to think about it for a moment (at least, as well as she could with a brain currently functioning very poorly) being so near the criminal wasn't so bad. The fact that he wasn't trying to kill her definitely made it better, and his touch wasn't making her uncomfortable. It had just been unexpected.

Wait. Did she have feelings for Roman Torchwick?

No. That thought was almost immediately scrapped as she quickly compared how she felt about Weiss with how she felt about Roman. Definitely different. But maybe she didn't dislike whatever was going on?

The brunette felt a soft hand close around her right wrist, while a larger, rougher one gripped her left wrist. Roman had apparently pulled his hands away from her waist, because it was he that had her by the left arm, with Weiss giving the man an icy glare from Ruby's right. Oh, she was so confused.

"I'm sorry, Ice Queen, but our agreement was that we would be _sharing_ Red. Now, if you want to withdraw from that deal, I will _gladly_ take her."

"Wha-"

"I am not withdrawing! I am calling it off completely. I will not allow a pedophile such as yourself-"

"Pedophile?" Roman interrupted with a chuckle. "Oh my, it would seem so. But I'm not the only one in this room. Hold old do you kids have to be to attend Beacon? Seventeen? One year away from being adults yourselves." He heaved a sigh of false sympathy, letting his words sink in.

"Um, can-"

"At least I am only two years older than her," Weiss remarked, cutting Ruby off.

Were they fighting over her? The young teen's question of _What's going on?_ had apparently been answered, but her confusion just grew. "Um, could we stop and talk about this?"

"Hush, Ruby." Weiss moved closer, hand sliding up from the younger girl's wrist until she came to a stop with her arm wrapped around Ruby's shoulders in a very possessive way.

At nearly the same time, Roman pulled sharply on Ruby's arm, sending Weiss a spiteful look. "Sorry, Ice Queen. But as I said, I'll be taking her."

"I hope you die horribly in the stomach of a Grimm."

"Weiss!" Ruby's eyes widened. "That was mean!" But she leaned into her white-haired partner's hold, laying her head on the older Huntress-in-training's shoulder. By this point, the brunette was beyond confusion or bafflement and had accepted that yes, this was weird, but it was happening.

Roman must have been getting desperate, because he played what could only be his final card. "I will steal a cookie factory for you, Red. And let you live in it." Ruby gasped, sitting upright and staring at the criminal hungrily (there might have even been a tiny bit of drool spilling from her mouth) while Weiss sputtered something about 'playing dirty', which only earned her a smug look from the man. "Whaddaya say, Red?"

"I will make cookies for you, Ruby. In the shape of Zwei's face."

"You get more cookies from a factory."

"Homemade taste better."

"If the factory is her home, they will be homemade."

Ruby's head whipped back and forth between the two, whining a little at their rapid-fire counter arguments. Not a thought was given in regards to how odd either of them were acting. Nope, she was thinking about cookies. And Weiss. And Torchwick.

Weiss made really good cookies... And Ruby had a crush on her anyway. Shrinking away from Roman, the brunette pulled her arm from the man's grasp to cling to her white-haired partner. "I want Weiss." This was replied to with an annoyed growl from Roman, and a second kiss from Weiss.

"Of course you do." The heiress shot a smug look in Roman's direction after pulling away.

"Shouldn't Torchwick be in jail?" the younger girl added, finally voicing the question that, up until now, she'd been unaware of itching at the back of her mind. "Wait, reader, did _unaware of itching at the back of her mind_ make sense?"

"Don't break the fourth wall, Red," Roman scolded.

"And don't worry about Torchwick." Weiss came in for a third kiss (which Ruby was more than happy to return), filling her red partner's field of vision. When the 'Ice Queen' pulled back yet again, Ruby glanced around the room, seeing no sign of Roman. That fact probably should have alarmed her more than it did. "Ruby." Her gaze snapped back to her white partner. "Eyes closed."

"Huh? Why?" But she complied, and felt Weiss pull her to her feet and into another kiss. Then they were moving, lips still locked together, the white-haired girl guiding the brunette across the room into the adjacent...bathroom? Okay then.

* * *

Emerald silently closed the bathroom door. And just in time, by the sound of it. Someone was moving around the main room. If she really strained to hear, she could pick up faint, annoyed mutterings and a quiet "I can't believe I forgot those notes." It sounded like Weiss. Well, nothing to do but wait for her to leave.

The green-haired girl perched on the edge of the sink, tilting her head slightly as she watched Ruby. It was so hard not to laugh at the sight. The brunette was reacting as if there really were a person there, her arms and slightly bent like they were wrapped around someone, her lips moving as if– oh look, now the tongue was out, wiggling around. Emerald had to hold her breath and place her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing, not wanting to alert Weiss to the fact that anyone was here.

Finally, the heiress sounded to have left. Emerald waited a little longer, just to be safe, then adjusted Ruby's hallucination so that the younger girl would be guided by 'Weiss' out of the bathroom and back into the main room, the thief following behind. Then she had Hallucination Weiss pull away from Ruby and move towards the door, exiting the room after Emerald opened said door, the thief right behind.

She stepped off to the side, as a red blur suddenly zipped out of the room, turning to go in the direction Hallucination Weiss had, which just so happened to be the way the real Weiss had gone, leaving a trail of rose petals. Emerald had released her influence over Ruby's mind the second Hallucination Weiss had stepped foot in the hallway.

She smirked and turned to stare expectantly down the hallway, waiting. Any second now, Ruby would be catching up to the real Weiss...

Just then, a screech echoed through the hallway. "RUBY ROSE, JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

An amused smile flitting across her face, the thief turned and slunk off down the hallway, hearing whining, flustered protests somewhere behind her from Ruby, who was most likely fleeing the Schnee's wrath.

* * *

That evening, Ruby was sitting on her bed, legs dangling over the side, and looking down at her teammates while nursing a bump on her head. "I'm not making it up!" she whined. "Torchwick was here, and he and Weiss were fighting over me, and then Weiss and I kissed! A lot!"

"I was in the library, studying. All day." Except for those few minutes she'd returned to the room to collect some notes she'd forgotten to bring along, her return trip to the library having been when Ruby caught her in the hallway. The heiress crossed her arms over her chest, and Ruby couldn't help but notice that even though Weiss had an icy glare fixed on her, her cheeks still held a pinkish tint. Had she liked it when Ruby kissed her in the hallway? She should have, because she'd been in here, kissing Ruby first. Except that apparently wasn't Weiss. "Besides. Torchwick was caught and locked away."

"He...said he escaped?"

"Perhaps you fell asleep and had a vivid dream," Blake suggested, glancing up from her book for only a few seconds.

"No! I wasn't asleep! I–!" The brunette didn't know what to do. Maybe she had been dreaming. After all, people didn't just vanish, but that was what Roman had done. But she was so certain she'd been awake...

"Ruby." Silver eyes flicked towards her older sister, blinking at the serious tone of Yang's voice. "How long have you been doing drugs?"

* * *

 _LDR: Welp, there's the end of that. Finished my first RWBY fic! *dances around, cheering*_

 _Anyway, I know it's (really, really) late, but this is in honor of both Monty Oum and Roman Torchwick. May they both rest in peace. That being said, who's hyped for Volume 4?_

 _So...yeah. I don't think there's really much left to say. Hope y'all enjoyed! Favorite it, favorite me, follow me, leave a review... Just something so I know all you people like something that took me weeks longer than it should have to write. LDR out!_


End file.
